International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, IEAS

Academician

Paolo Laj

Profile:

Elected Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences on 7 July 2015, Dr. Paolo Laj is a distinguished Italian-French atmospheric physicist and an internationally recognised authority on atmospheric aerosols and global observation networks. Born in 1966, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Grenoble in 1992 for research on climatic signals preserved in glaciers. He subsequently conducted research within the Italian Antarctic Research Programme and at the University of Bologna before joining the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in 1998, where he headed the Atmospheric Aerosol Research Group in Clermont-Ferrand. In 2009, he joined Université Grenoble Alpes as Senior Physicist and Professor of Atmospheric Research, and from 2010 to 2015 served as Director of the Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement (LGGE). Since 2015, he has held a Visiting Professorship at the University of Helsinki. In May 2024, he was appointed Chief of the Atmospheric Environment Research Section at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), overseeing the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) programme. He has also held major international leadership roles, including Scientific Chair of the Aerosols, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS) and Coordinator of the Sustainable Access to Atmospheric Research Facilities (ATMO-ACCESS) project.

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Dr. Laj’s research has centred on long-term observations of atmospheric composition, with particular emphasis on aerosol–cloud interactions, climate-relevant aerosol properties, and the formation and transformation of atmospheric particles across contrasting environments. His work has contributed substantially to the development and harmonisation of European and global observing networks, particularly through the standardisation of measurement protocols and the integration of atmospheric observations from ground-based stations worldwide. His research has extended from aerosol processes in European continental environments to observations in the high-altitude regions of the Himalayas and Andes, providing important evidence for understanding aerosol variability, radiative effects, and climate interactions. His selected works address the global distribution of climate-relevant aerosol properties, the influence of mixing state on black-carbon optical and radiative characteristics, standards for black-carbon measurement and reporting, new particle formation in the Himalayas, and aerosol characteristics across urban, rural, and background environments. Collectively, these contributions reflect a sustained scientific programme linking fundamental aerosol physics with the development of interoperable observing systems that underpin international climate and air-quality research and policy.